


A Fish Out on the Ice

by Haroomba



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, One Shot, never realm, ns11 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:15:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28751262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haroomba/pseuds/Haroomba
Summary: The ice felt like bitter poison as Akita pressed her palm against it, staring at the frozen figure of one of the Formling villagers. The cold had already dried her tears by now, the liquid now just crystals of ice.Shortly after Vex and the Ice Emperor turned the Formling village into ruins, Akita finds herself alone, with no one to help her survive in the frigid Never Realm but herself.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	A Fish Out on the Ice

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfiction was a part of the Ninja Never Quit Zine! Feel free to check it out!

The ice felt like bitter poison as Akita pressed her palm against it, staring at the frozen figure of one of the Formling villagers. The cold had already dried her tears by now, the liquid now just crystals of ice.

Everything seemed to have happened so quickly. It felt like just a moment ago Akita was celebrating with her brother, but now she stands in the center of her home, alone. The wind continued to howl against her face, as if it was mocking her loss.

Akita continued to trace her hands against the tiny crevices in the ice. Its glow against the night’s light was... beautiful in a strange, messed-up way. She had the urge to sit right there for hours, keeping the frozen statues company. She didn’t want to leave them alone, to fend for themselves against the harsh winter that grew more intense by the minute.  
Images of Kataru continued to harass her mind, reminding Akita of her failure to protect him. He was gone because she was too slow. Maybe if she hadn’t run off for one last lap she wouldn’t be in this situation right now. Maybe it was best if she didn’t stay. Picking up the knife she had dropped on the ground, Akita transformed into a wolf and walked out of her home.

* * *

The days soon blurred into an incomprehensible mess, as the differences between night and day meant little to Akita. All she could do was keep moving and hope she could figure out what to do next. As the snow continued to blow around her, Akita felt her senses slowly become more numb. Despite how painful it could be at times, she told herself it was a good thing, because the emptiness allowed her to forget everything she had left behind.

Food was originally rather difficult to come from, as Akita had little experience with hunting. Eventually though, she got the hang of it, her accuracy growing more precise. Over time, Akita started to learn more about the self-proclaimed “Ice Emperor”, and how the Formlings weren’t the only village he terrorized. It made her blood boil.

As expected, spending your days alone in a frozen wasteland gave you a lot of time to reflect, whether that’s a good or bad thing. With each hour, a primal instinct began to emerge inside of Akita. All the rage and hurt that bubbled within her started to reach its boiling point. She wanted to take all her anger out on something… someone. 

Snow continued to fall during both day and night as the climate grew more cold and unforgiving. As time went on, the stories of the Ice Emperor became more common. In less than a year Akita counted maybe hundreds of tales of how families were separated, frozen… or even worse. Despite how their loss mirrored her own, she was able to soon push what had happened all that time ago to the back of her mind. An afterthought. Just a bitter memory.

The emptiness that resided in only a small part of Akita’s heart continued to grow as she soon forgotten the sound of her own voice. The only thing that echoed in her mind as she trekked across empty glaciers were the feral growls she would emit whenever she came across a creature that was just as desperate to survive as herself. 

Flakes of snow flew in several different directions, as Akita tried to persevere through the storm that obscured her vision. The sun was only moments away from falling below the horizon, signaling the need for shelter. Snow always did seem to fall more violently in the moonlight. In the distance, Akita spotted a small ripple in the otherwise flat glacier. Running towards it, she realized it was a small pocket of shelter made from built-up snow and ice from previous storms.

Crawling inside of it, Akita reversed back into her human form as she felt herself relax for the first time in days. Opening the small bag she had picked up from a village, she began to chew on cold fish as she watched the blizzard sway and howl violently.

Only a few nibbles in, Akita noticed a strange silhouette in the distance. On the other side of the glacier to be specific. Akita watched in silence, hoping the figure that was curled up on the ice would eventually stand up and head to safety. Ten minutes in and nothing changed. During that time, however, she realized that the shadow was in fact alive, as its chest would rise and fall.

The storm was growing stronger exponentially, and the figure made no attempt to try and find warmth. Taking a deep breath, Akita stood up and she stuck her food back into her bag and began to try and navigate through the blizzard.

It seemed the wind was trying its hardest to prevent Akita from reaching her goal, as it seemed to blow even more as the ice continued to try and slip her. As she got closer, she realized that the injured silhouette was a wolf as well, although they were most likely not a formling. Picking them up, Akita made the journey back to her shelter.

After what felt like forever, Akita gently placed the wolf on the ground as she relaxed against the ice. The animal continued to stir as Akita took off her cape and placed it on top of them. The feeling of hunger had long since passed as she watched over the wolf.

When the blizzard finally came to an end, the night concluded as the sun’s rays poked through the icy roof. The wolf stirred to consciousness, as if the light gave them life. Akita smiled as she retrieved her cape. Standing up, she met eyes with the wolf, before grabbing her bag and placing it in front of them.

“It has all the food you’ll need. It’s yours now. Take it,” she instructed.

The animal seemed confused by the gesture, before eventually grabbing the bag with their teeth. With one last look, Akita left the shelter and continued her journey.

A few days after the second anniversary of the loss of her village, Akita trekked through one of the realm’s many forests. With the snow so deep it left some of the biggest paw prints she’d ever seen, Akita felt exhausted after only walking for a mere hour. As the moon hung over the sky, she began to search for a place to rest for the night.

Loud noises echoed throughout what was a mostly quiet forest. Curious, Akita ran over to see what was going on. Pushing past the bushes, she came across a person in green staring down a small pack of feral wolves. Realizing they were about to pounce, Akita disregarded her own safety as she charged at one of them, knocking them off balance. As the wolf laid sprawled on the ground, Akita ran to another wolf, letting out a growl. Almost instantly, the rest of the wolves retreated.

“Wow, I’ve never seen a wolf like you before.”

Akita quickly turned around, letting out a muffled, instinctual growl as she was reminded of his presence.

“What do you want?” He quickly asked, slightly leaning back as he pointed his sword at Akita.

Her aggressiveness began to fade away as the man continued. He seemed different than the other villagers she came across, more vibrant. The last time she’d come across someone like that was with… her brother. 

“I bet you’re hungry. Well, don’t even think about it, because I fight back!” The man grinned.

Akita’s stance shrunk as she barked in response to him waving his sword. Much more vibrant, she confirmed. Taking note of this, his posture relaxed as he drew back his sword, exchanging it for a fish on a stick. As he threw it on the ground in front of her, Akita sprung back a little, before examining the offering.

“You can eat that, okay? Truce?” He said, the smile still not leaving his face as he walked away.

She was disappointed to see him leave, despite her not knowing why. For the first time in years, Akita felt comfort. So against her own urge to travel the other direction and rest, Akita finished the stranger’s fish and began to follow him into the pass known to many as Wojira’s Wrath.

**Author's Note:**

> I think this is a sign I should start using AO3 more...


End file.
